Atavism

Atavism is a biological term referring to the reemergence of inherited ancestral traits in a person.

THE PHILOSOPHY OF JACK LONDON 2007

We see frequently in states what physiologists call 'Atavism' -- the return, in part, to the unstable nature of their barbarous ancestors.

Physics and Politics, or, Thoughts on the application of the principles of "natural selection" and "inheritance" to political society Walter Bagehot 1851

"Atavism," I ventured; and he regarded me narrowly, as though I might be maligning his character in some way.

The River and I John G. Neihardt 1927

Then she read "Atavism," and her little highly bred face looked savage!

Man and Maid Elinor Glyn 1903

'Atavism', it expresses this tendency to revert to the ancestral type, and comes from the Latin word 'atavus', ancestor.

The Perpetuation of Living Beings; hereditary transmission and variation Thomas Henry Huxley 1860

"Atavism" in Pritchard years ago, and as it is a much more convenient word than "Hereditary transmission of variations," it slipped into equivalence in my mind, and I forgot all about the original limitation.

Life and Letters of Thomas Henry Huxley — Volume 1 Thomas Henry Huxley 1860

'Atavism', it expresses this tendency to revert to the ancestral type, and comes from the Latin word 'atavus', ancestor.

Lectures and Essays Thomas Henry Huxley 1860

Well, this 'Atavism' which I shall speak of, is, as I said before, one of the most marked and striking tendencies of organic beings; but, side by side with this hereditary tendency there is an equally distinct and remarkable tendency to variation.

Lectures and Essays Thomas Henry Huxley 1860

Well, this 'Atavism' which I shall speak of, is, as I said before, one of the most marked and striking tendencies of organic beings; but, side by side with this hereditary tendency there is an equally distinct and remarkable tendency to variation.

The Perpetuation of Living Beings; hereditary transmission and variation Thomas Henry Huxley 1860

Extenuating circumstance Number 2 ” that I picked up "Atavism" in Pritchard years ago, and as it is a much more convenient word than "Hereditary transmission of variations," it slipped into equivalence in my mind, and I forgot all about the original limitation.

The Life and Letters of Thomas Henry Huxley Huxley, Leonard 1900